Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 30.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Lesotho is 30.9%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Lesotho peaked at 38.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 29.8%, in 2016.
Lesotho ranks 57th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 38.6% | — |
| 1992 | 38.2% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 37.7% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 37.1% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 36.7% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 35.9% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 35.7% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 36.1% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 36.4% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 36.0% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 35.9% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 35.6% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 35.1% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 35.0% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 34.4% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 33.7% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 33.2% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 32.5% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 32.6% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 31.9% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 31.4% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 30.7% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 30.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 30.2% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 29.9% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 29.8% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 30.2% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 30.3% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 29.8% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 31.5% | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 32.0% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 31.7% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 31.5% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 31.1% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 30.9% | -0.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 30.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.4%, 87% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 30.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.5%, 69% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.9% | 35.7% | 38.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 34.4% | 32.5% | 36.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.5% | 29.8% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.5% | 30.9% | 32.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0649 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 70.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6715 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5533 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 5.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Lesotho?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Lesotho was 30.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 38.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.8% in 2016.
- How does Lesotho rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Lesotho ranks 57th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).